Overletting

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of renting out a leased property again by the current tenant to another person
2. When a tenant grants a lease of the rented premises to a third party without the landlord's direct involvement
3. A process where the occupant of a rental property leases the space to someone else, effectively subletting

Etymology: The "let" in this word is the old verb meaning to allow or permit, from Old English "lætan." Renting a property was originally a matter of giving someone leave to use it, and the landlord's permission to occupy a house is the same idea that gave us "let" in the sense of letting a flat. This is a different verb from the "let" that means to hinder, which comes from a separate Old English word, "lettan," so the two look identical today only by coincidence of spelling. "Over-" here most likely carries the sense of "beyond" or "across," marking a grant that passes the tenancy on past the original tenant. The compound is a transparent formation from English parts rather than a classical borrowing, and I am not certain of the date it first appeared in legal writing.